The Wicked City (1992)

Hong Kong Panorama Corporation Ltd. 2018 Blu-ray edition


An Unhinged and absolutely wild sci-fi action from the Hong Kong Golden Era year of 1992
, directed by Peter Mak and produced by Tsui Hark.

The Wicked City was actually one of the first movies from Hong Kong that i ever saw. This was sometime in the early 1990's, maybe 1993 or 1994
and i watched it on a Hong Kong VHS obtained from a local videoshop here in Stockholm, Sweden, "Lisas Video" a small shop owned by and for
Chinese Cantonese speaking people in Stockholm. Soon however Swedish non-chinese film nerds as myself was flocking there and buying all their
rental VHS copies. This was in the beginning of the emerging HK movie wave in the west where Kung Fu and John Woo bullet opera films already
were popular and now also the strange, wild and hyperkinetic films of sci-fi, horror and category III started to make a buzz.

My video rental membership card at Lisas Video

I remember how the amazing hyperkinetic energy and movement in the film totally overwhelmed me, a swedish guy used to the more flegmatic styled
movies of the west. This Hyper Kinetic quality was a totally unique trait of the Hong Kong film, and disappeared sometime during the 1990's, Lost.
This was also the element that made western artfilm lovers look down on the Hong Kong film as trashy, unserious etc. bla bla gobble gobble.
I loved it though and watching all these wonderful Hong Kong movies, later, when the DVD showed up, made me want to open a film shop on the net,
which i did with my Strange Things website 2001-2009. Today, i miss this Hyperkinetic style of filmmaking in Hong Kong films, the energy ....

This wild and energetic film, an unhinged Sci-Fi fantasy action based on the Japanese anime "Supernatural Beastie City" where Man is in war with
Rapters, mutants or aliens, and who can shift shape into human form. Yes, sounds as something from any new TV series today in 2019, a popular
theme, but this film was made in 1992.This film was also made before the era of CGI and had to rely on manually made effects, and WOW there are
som really cool and innovative effects in this film with my favourite one maybe the bonkers Time Woman Raptor Machine Motorcycle

Above: The Old Thai DVD edition of Wicked City

In Hong Kong the agents Taki/Leung (Leon Lai) and Ken Kai/Ying (Jacky Cheung) works for the Anti Rapter Bureau filled with ESP powered
agents, and situated at the top of a building protected by an anti-Rapter magnetic field. Ken is half Rapter himself and Taki is in love with the
beautiful Rapter girl Gaye/Windy (the gorgeous Michelle Reis). She's an underling to the leader of the Rapters, Daishu (Tatsuya Nakadai) a
good monster mutant who only wants to do business with- and live peacefully among the humans.

But, Yuen/Daishu has an evil son Gwei/Shudo (Roy Cheung) who spreads the deadly drug Happiness and his father is blamed by the humans.
Will there be an all out Rapter attack on Hong Kong ? Rapters are shape-shifters equipped with great Telekinetic powers and all agents of the
Anti-Rapter Bureau has got strong ESP powers too. Tremendous pace, energy and imaginatively made effects make this film a Golden Era Great

The Blu-ray is presented in widescreen and with a cantonese (or mandarin) PCM 2.0 audio with english subtitles, trailer extra. Region A

 

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